comb

[ kohm ]

/ koʊm /

Save This Word!

noun

a toothed strip of plastic, hard rubber, bone, wood, or metal, used for arranging the hair, untangling it, or holding it in place.

a currycomb.

any comblike instrument, object, or formation.

the fleshy, more or less serrated outgrowth on the head of certain gallinaceous birds, especially the domestic fowl.

something resembling or suggesting this, as the crest of a wave.

a honeycomb, or any similar group of cells.

a machine for separating choice cotton or wool fibers from noil.

a comblike instrument for imparting a grainlike finish to a painted surface.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a ridge of a roof.

a series of springlike prongs projecting from a spine, usually of plastic, for making a loose-leaf binding.

a trowel having a notched edge for applying adhesives in setting tiles or the like.

Armor. a ridge along the top of a helmet, especially of the morion.

Masonry. drag (def. 31).

the upper edge of the buttstock of a rifle or shotgun.

verb (used with object)

to arrange or adorn (the hair) with a comb.

to use (something) in the manner of a comb: She was slowly combing her fingers through her hair.

to remove (anything undesirable) with or as if with a comb: She combed the snarls out of her hair. They combed the cowards from the group.

to search everywhere in: He combed the files for the missing letter.

to separate (textile fibers) with a comb.

to scrape with or as with a comb.

to sweep across; rake: High winds combed the seacoast.

verb (used without object)

to roll over or break at the crest, as a wave.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of comb

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English comb, camb; cognate with Old High German kamb (German Kamm ), Old Norse kambr, Greek gómphos “pin, peg,” gomphíos “molar tooth,” Slavic (Polish) ząb “tooth,” Tocharian A kam “tooth”; see cam¹, kempt

OTHER WORDS FROM comb

comb·less, adjectivecomb·less·ness, nounun·combed, adjectivewell-combed, adjective

Other definitions for comb (2 of 2)

comb.

abbreviation

combination.

combined.

combining.

combustion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use comb in a sentence

In her search for answers, Faleiro interviews more than 100 people and combs through some 3,000 pages of records from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation.
In India, the complicated truth behind the killing of two teenagers|Mythili G. Rao|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
A comb with three missing teeth and a metal tail teeters on the edge of a glass table, a family heirloom.
A Celebration Of Brandy’s Best Braid Moments|Brooklyn White|February 11, 2021|Essence.com
So whether you want to maintain the same length every day or you have a deep desire to start shaping a circle beard, multiple fixed-length guide combs and other attachments will get the results you require.
The best beard trimmer: Shape your facial hair with ease|Carsen Joenk|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
This Norelco MG7791 comes with 29 pieces inside its grooming kit, including a detail trimmer, rotary nose and ear trimmer, body shaver, comb, and trimming scissors.
The best beard trimmer: Shape your facial hair with ease|Carsen Joenk|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science

You might also find a grooming kit that comes with detailed blades or a significant range of guide combs.
The best beard trimmer: Shape your facial hair with ease|Carsen Joenk|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
But do you think the same amount of media resources would have been dedicated to combing through Lerner's emails as Palins?
The IRS Email Double Standard|Matt Lewis|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Authorities have begun combing the areas surrounding the site, and police are interviewing local residents.
On U.VA Campus, Grief Mixes With Relief After Discovery of Body|Eric Leimkuhler|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cops went searching for a would-be suicide bomber, combing through the north-central part of the city.
As Gaza War Comes Home to Israel, a Reluctant Suicide Bomber Emerges|Itay Hod|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He says investigators are combing through all the homicides over the last decade to find other similarities.
Italy’s Scariest Serial Killer Returns|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The police searched all the rooms looking for any Stavitsky documents and combing through financial records.
The Mafia Ruling Ukraine’s Mobs|Jamie Dettmer|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At times numbers of loose hairs come away in the brushing or combing.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Their hair was fine and glossy for men of their race; and, stranger still, it bore an appearance of careful combing.
Overland|John William De Forest
Besides its uses for combing, it is extensively manufactured into blankets, carpeting, and many other fabrics.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen
A man, his heels caught against the combing, up to his knees in water, was braced back at the exact angle to withstand the rush.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
The process was much like combing a particularly snarly head of hair and was received in the same spirit.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

British Dictionary definitions for comb

comb

/ (kəʊm) /

noun

a toothed device of metal, plastic, wood, etc, used for disentangling or arranging hair

a tool or machine that separates, cleans, and straightens wool, cotton, etc

Australian and NZ the fixed cutter on a sheep-shearing machine

anything resembling a toothed comb in form or function

the fleshy deeply serrated outgrowth on the top of the heads of certain birds, esp the domestic fowl

anything resembling the comb of a bird

a currycomb

a honeycomb

the row of fused cilia in a ctenophore

go over with a fine-tooth comb, go over with a fine-toothed comb, go through with a fine-tooth comb or go through with a fine-toothed comb to examine very thoroughly

verb

(tr) to use a comb on

(when tr, often foll by through) to search or inspect with great carethe police combed the woods

Word Origin for comb

Old English camb; related to Old Norse kambr, Old High German camb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with comb

comb

see fine-tooth comb.

comb

Origin of comb

OTHER WORDS FROM comb

Other definitions for comb (2 of 2)

Words related to comb

How to use comb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for comb

Word Origin for comb

Other Idioms and Phrases with comb